TWO vital points and a few glimpses of what life will be like once Ben Barba gets fully up to speed were the two major positives Saints drew from the 40-16 win over Huddersfield.

The Australian superstar scored a dazzling try out of the top drawer and created another for Regan Grace as Saints secured the points that keep them in the hunt for a semi-final spot.

Barba's performance; his threat with the ball, vision and ability to make things happen will have done much to settle the grumbles that had been building after two rusty displays.

And he will be better once Saints combinations bed in, with fledgling pairing of Jonny Lomax and Danny Richardson showing some positive signs, particularly early on.

The only negative came in the spell around the hour mark, with the game won, when Saints deviated from the script and tried to move the ball wide from deep without doing the hard yards first, but simply ended up inviting Huddersfield to attack their line in a scrappy last quarter.

It started well for Saints and four minutes in Lomax darted on to Richardson neatly weighted grubber to touch down.

And six minutes Barba backed himself to take on the line in a searing break before drawing man to send Grace sauntering over.

It was all Saints, and with Barba again the architect, Zeb Taia touched down only for the ref to call a forward pass in the build up.

Saints continued to press, but a knock on by Alex Walmsley was punished with a close-range try from Oliver Roberts, goaled by Danny Brough.

But a quick brace of tries just before the break soon made the game safe.

The first of those was set up after a blistering run from wingman Grace, from deep inside his own half.

The appeared to check himself and was halted by Darnell McIntosh but swift hands saw Lomax saunter over on the right.

Fine hands again engineered space for Mark Percival who dashed through a gap that he could have driven a bus through.

Saints continued in the same groove after the restart, when off the back of two penalties, Lomax pinged the pass back to Barba who ran on the arc to outpace the Huddersfield right edge for a super score.

And after snuffing out a Giants attack, Saints were soon knocking on the door at the other end and in another impressive stint from Dominique Peyroux , the last pass saw Ryan Morgan dash into the corner.

And that is where it started to unravel a little – with some dropped ball, forced passes and miscued kicks to touch making for uncomfortable viewing, especially when played out to the soundtrack of an incessant clanking cowbell from one of the travelling Fartowners.

And the cluster of fans around the wannabe Heidi finally had something to cheer when Ryan Hinchcliffe and Jordan Rankin crossed to close the deficit.

Although it never looked like the game was in doubt, Saints needed something to send the fans home happy.

And who knows how vital Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook charge to the line may be should the semi spots be determined on points difference.

So generally a good hour from Saints, but they will need to produce 80 minutes next week and hereon in if they are to have a chance of doing anything this season.

Saints: Barba; Makinson, Morgan, Percival, Grace; Lomax, Richardson; Douglas, Roby, Thompson, Taia, Knowles, Wilkin. Subs: Fages, Walmsley, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Peyroux.

Huddersfield: Rankin; McGillvary, Mellor, Turner, McIntosh; Gaskell, Brough; Rapira, O’Brien, Ta’ai Roberts, Lawrence, Hinchcliffe. Subs: Leeming, Clough, Smith, Dickinson.